Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Diary of a World Traveler

Dublin Day 2: "It really is a lottery."

Today, I took a
step back in time 5,000 years. We visited the Neolithic monuments of Newgrange
and Knowth and got to learn all about how the tombs were constructed, how they
were used, and why they are so important to the history of Ireland. Any time I
get to encounter the past is a good time for me. This was an absolute privilege
to see, and definitely worth moving our Norway tickets for!

The day started
at 9AM like always. We made the 40 minute drive up to Navan again, then got
checked in at the Newgrage visitor center. There, we received stickers that
told us when our buses would depart for which site. We had a little time to
wander around the museum and gift shop area before our tour started, so I got
some postcards and a keychain. The most interesting parts of the museum were
the scaled models of the entire countryside that showed where the important
monuments are in relation to the land around, as well as the forensic
anthropology exhibit. This basically displayed a replica inhumated body found
on site, with magnifying glasses identifying various bone markers of diet,
occupation, etc. It was straight out of an episode of Bones and reminded me how
much I used to want to do that as a job. It is truly fascinating work. I loved
it.

Moving on, we
boarded the buses that would transport us to the Newgrange monument itself. Also
called Brú na Boinne, Newgrange is an ancient burial tomb dated 3000-2500BC,
which makes it older than both the pyramids and Stonehenge. There is an
elaborate front that was put in during modern times to help the entrance to the
inner tomb, which has three separate basin chambers where cremated remains
would have been placed. Extensive Neolithic artwork is present throughout the
monument—the kerbstones on the outside are elaborately decorated with unique
designs, the basins have inscriptions from floor to ceiling, and even the outer
stone walls have patterns using light and dark stones. Much of the lighter
stone came from around the sea almost 20km away via the Boyne River, whereas
the alternating dark stones are local to the monument.

Above the stone
walls are a series of earth and rock layers that create the mound shape. The
mound is almost 250ft at its widest, 39 feet tall, and covers just over an acre
of land. Since this is a portal tomb, the area within the walls was used to
bury cremated remains, as well as bury bodies in small graves during later
times. Various items have been found within these graves or around remains,
such as jewelry, gaming pieces, and bone pins. The original purpose of the
monument is constantly debated, but many agree that it must have some sort of
powerful influence over the way the ancient people viewed their dead and death
in a spiritual, or at least natural way.

Seeing inner
tomb was quite the special experience for me. This is where every year on the
six days surrounding the 21st of December, the rising sun illuminates the
chamber and the light hits the wall at the back. In the winter, the tomb is in
complete darkness, so seeing the sun slowly climb up the tomb must be stunning.
Unfortunately, no one is allowed to photograph the inside of the monument, so I
can only use my words to describe how amazing it was to stand this far back in
time. The hallway into the central chamber is small, covered in artwork, and
slightly graded uphill. This is the passage or “portal” part of the portal
tomb. The chamber opens up at the back, where three little basins have even
more decorative artwork on the walls. The ceiling is corbeled, watertight, and
has not been disrupted since its construction. That is truly astonishing.
Walking around the site and seeing the simulated sunrise gave me chills. Bing
able to see what those ancient people saw and felt… that was a once in a
lifetime moment. Being at ancient sites like this always brings me back into
focus.

Our next stop
was Knowth, a similar but larger monument to Newgrange. This complex also has
various smaller portal tombs built up with cairns, making a satellite around
the larger one. Thus, these little mounds are called satellite tombs. There are
two inner tombs that have entrances on opposite sides of the monument, one with
basins and one without. The straight tomb is not actually straight, however—the
final fourth of the passage makes a turn to the right for reasons unknown.

The amazing
thing about Knowth is how long it has been consistently occupied by ancient
people throughout history. This complex dates 2000-2500BC, so a little later
than Newgrange. Even so, it was used for much the same purposes as Newgrange:
ritual and burial. But after it was used for rituals in the late Neolithic
period and the cairn slipped and covered the entrances to the passages, it was
transformed into a hill fort in the early Christian period. During that time,
houses and souterrains were added to the complex, making it a period of
habitation rather than just ritual. It also became the seat of the king of Cnogbha—Knowth’s
Gaelic name.

The site was
then taken over by Anglo-Normas, who expanded the habitation and added
agricultural elements to the surrounding area. An example of this would be the
corn kiln near the satellite tombs, used to store and dry grains of any kind. After
that, the site fell into ruin until the excavations starting in the mid 20th
century.

Neolithic
artwork abounds at Knowth, as well. The entrance stone had to be removed to allow
excavation and archeological work to be done, but it rests on its side and has
fascinating designs carved into it. The fifth stone in from the doorway is a
very special one—it has a stunning circular design that many think was used for
calendar keeping. Other kerbstones have chevrons, serpentines, concentric
circles, diamonds, and all sorts of other unique designs on them, similarly to
Newgrange. Though access to the central tombs in blocked, it was very
interesting to hear all about the history from our awesome tour guide Jimmy.

After our guided
tour finished, we headed up to the top of the cairn to the viewing platform. We
could see the Wicklow Mountains in the distance, Newgrange very close, the Hill
of Tara, the Boyne River, and the ruins of Slane Abbey. After some time
reveling in the 360° view, a group of us went down to a neighboring pasture to
make friends with some fluffy cows. It was a great way to end a beautifully
sunny day filled with time traveling adventure.

The bus ride
back to Dublin was smooth and uneventful. I am using the time to catch up on
work, get everything caught up, and pack before we leave for Norway tomorrow. We
catch the 10AM bus to Dublin Airport, so we have lots of time to get everything
situated tonight and in the morning. I cannot wait to experience a new part of
Europe and learn more about how Scandinavia works as opposed to the other
places I have been so far on my journey. Though it isn’t exactly the homeland
of my ancestors, it is close enough for me. I am so excited!